Shakespeare's Globe is a fantastic theatrical experience, but less so when the weather is bad – and this
is London – or when you've had a long day at work and you find yourself having to stand up for three hours cause your partner thinks it's better to do things the really authentic way. However, there is a way to experience The Globe sans some of its less agreeable delights, and that's to see one of their shows 'at a
cinema near you'.
Yes, that's right folks, for the less than princely sum of £13
ish you can experience The Globe from the point of view of better-than-the-best-seats-in-the-house. That's right,
seats, and ones that won't have you getting rained on either.
These aren't live link ups to the show as it happens, they're screened recordings of some of the highlights of the 2010 'Kings and Rogues' season, which featured Roger Allam's Oliver Award-winning performance as Falstaff in
Henry IV. Henry IV comes in two parts – in the
second Falstaff is a much more serious rogue – and you can see them both on the screen, in some places as a double bill.
The other Henry is also coming to the big screen: The Globe's 2010 opulent production of
Henry VIII is also part of the season. All rich cloth and dark intrigues, this was one of Shakespeare's most popular plays during his own time, and The Globe really does it justice, with everything on a scale grand enough to impress even today's comfortable peasant classes.
They are also showing the hilarious
Merry Wives of Windsor, which I'd never seen until last year, but found funnier than 'Much Ado about Nothing', AND most of the sitcoms on TV at the moment.
There are actually screenings all over the world, so check The Globe's website for more details. In some places there are screening scheduled until November. My local cinema is showing the Shakespeare season until the 22nd of September.
